Full Size Friday: Chevrolet’s Most Popular Full-Size Model Ever?

Little did anyone know in 1955 that a styling sketch by Clare MacKichan’s design team combined with designers from Pontiac would end up capturing the imagination of General Motors Styling Vice President Harley Earl and transform into a one of Chevrolet’s most popular full-size models ever.

Harley Earl and crew worked a basic design into a show car destined for the General Motors Motorama car show in 1956. The show car featured “corvette-esque design cues” and was painted with a period specific emerald green metallic exterior paint with white interior for the show. Proposed as a hardtop, the concept car was a hit with the passenger car crowd and was tagged with a name derived from the southern African antelope, the Impala. Unfortunately, the show car is not known to have survived through the years.

General Motors introduced the Impala for the 1958 model year as Chevrolet’s most expensive passenger model through 1965 when it had become the best selling automobile in the United States at the time. From 1958 through 1996, the Impala had sold more than 13 million units, more than any other full-size car in automobile history. In fact, the Impala sold 1,074,925 units in 1964 in the U.S. which still stands as a record.

There are currently nine generations of the Impala through the three different production periods (1957-1985, 1994-1996, 1999-present).

According to industry rumor and buzz, the Impala is expected to receive updated treatment for the 2014 model year, making it the 10th generation of this brand model. Insiders predict the tenth generation Impala to be larger and more upscale than the current model, despite the trend for economy in many car models.

The Impala has continued to be what it was originally intended as Chevrolet’s Chief Engineer, Ed Cole had directed for the Impala in the late 50’s, a “prestige car within the reach of the average American.”